Brandao Sentenced to 1 Month in Jail and Fined for Thiago Motta Headbutt
Bastia striker Brandao has been sentenced to one month in prison and fined โฌ20,000 for headbutting Paris Saint-Germain's Thiago Motta in August, but he will see that sentence adjusted to community service.
Tom Williams of AFP and Jonathan Johnson of ESPN FC reported Thursday's verdict:
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However, Johnson suggests Brandao will avoid prison:
The Associated Press, via USA Today, highlighted the financial dent received by Brandao. He also received a six-month playing ban back in September, reported by the AP (h/t Mail Online). CCTV footage of the incident which left Motta's note broken, per USA Today, was posted on YouTube:
This incident occurred shortly after PSG's 2-0 win during the early stages of the current Ligue 1 season. Although theย LFP's Disciplinary Committee originally suspended Brandao until Sept. 18 pending a full decision, he will now miss the majority of his debut season with Bastia.
The Brazilian claimed his headbutt wasn'tย premeditated, saying he wanted to "have it out with Motta and then blew a fuse," per theย Agence France-Presseย (h/t The West Australian). French prosecutors requested an eight-month suspended sentence, but ultimately saw their request denied.
Brandao posted just 162 minutes' worth of football across two competitive games before tempers overspilt in the Parc des Princes tunnel, per WhoScored.com. He failed to score in that time and registered a yellow card in both matches. Perhaps tellingly, he averaged just 1.5 shots on goal and three fouls throughout these displays.
Bastia have struggled without him on the pitch. They are currently 16th with three wins in 14 matches, but recently showed improvement by beating Montpellier and drawing with Lyon.
PSG captain Thiago Silva suggested the team are better off without Brandao, saying he "is always disloyal" and "always wants to talk instead of play," reported by theย AFP (h/t The National).
Brandao represented the likes of Shakhtar Donetsk, Marseille, Cruzeiro, Gremio and Saint-Etienne before joining Bastia.
The Corsican club are currently the third lowest scorers in the divisionโIvorian youngsterย Junior Tallo currently has their highest tally of league goals on four, per WhoScoredโsuggesting they need extra firepower.ย
Brandao isn't set to return until Feb. 22, 2015, meaning he could return during the trip to Lorient on Feb. 28. He will miss the reverse fixture against PSG and is only likely to encounter Motta again if his one-year deal is extended at the end of the season.
